


The Force Awakens: A Study in Stubborn Boyfriends

by missred



Category: Bandom, Cobra Starship, Fall Out Boy
Genre: M/M, Sickfic, Sickness, stubborn patrick, the force awakens is basically a character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 21:10:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5758960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missred/pseuds/missred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Star Wars is better than sex toys," Gabe says, hugging Patrick back, "noted."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Force Awakens: A Study in Stubborn Boyfriends

It gets really fucking cold in Chicago. Patrick grew up here and he knows. He’s good about dressing warm before he goes out and all that, but even so, it's hard on your body existing in temperatures so cold humans weren’t meant to survive them. Touring is its own kind of hard. It’s physically and mentally exhausting and Patrick is glad to get home, but January in Chicago is kind of a harsh home to go back to. So he gets off tour and crashed hard but still wakes up a few days later with a tight chest and stuffed nose.

Which is no big deal really.

Except snot is dripping everywhere and he can't breathe through his nose and he's been puttering around his house for three days without the energy to get dressed in real clothes.

He won't let Pete in when he knocks because Patrick is doing just fine and Pete overreacts. This, of course, causes Pete to overreact.

Pete calls Gabe and says without preamble, "I need you to get on a plane because our Patrick is dying and he won't let me help."

Gabe gets on the plane. He doesn’t really feel like there are a lot of other options.

He's pretty sure Patrick only answers the door out of shock. He looks wrecked.

"What the hell are you doing here." Patrick wheezes.

His voice is rough and ragged and Gabe winces.

"Little bird told me you weren't taking care of yourself." Gabe says honestly. "Let me in, it's colder than witch tits out here."

Patrick steps aside and coughs when the icy air sweeps in after Gabe and burns his lungs.

"Fucking----Pete--" he chokes out between coughs. "I'm an adult, he does not get to tattle on me to my boyfriend any time he feels like it."

The implication hangs unsaid in the air, because this has been going on since before anyone really considered Patrick grown.

 

Warped 05 Pete running in Gabe's bus panicked because Patrick was wheezing and refused to tell him where his inhaler was.

Gabe was just Pete's friend then, he'd barely met Patrick more than a handful of times, but he was good at talking people down and Pete knew it.

 

2011, the day patrick posted that stupid blog post. Gabe had been on an internet cleanse but he'd gotten a call from Pete and then he'd gotten on a plane to Chicago. 

Nothing's changed really, since that first time, Patrick's still stubborn as hell and thinks he can handle more than he can. He'll butt heads with Pete because Pete comes at it too head on, and then Patrick just digs his heels in harder.

Gabe doesn't fight, he coaxes, he backs off and tries again later, he wears Patrick down.

Like right now, with Patrick standing defiant in the foyer, goosebumps on his arms. Gabe doesn't physically lift him up and bury him in enough blankets to trap him there (what he wants to do), instead he shrugs off his jacket and pulls Patrick in for a hug.

"I missed you" he mumbles, bending down into the juncture of Patrick's collarbone and his neck.

Patrick sags just like that, leaning into him. "Missed you too."

Gabe holds up the plastic bag that holds what he's essentially counting on as his trojan horse.

"Brought you a surprise."

Patrick eyes the bag suspiciously. "It's not candy underwear again, is it? Because I told you Gabe, that's an accident waiting to happen and I'm not--"

"It's not candy underwear, unfortunately," Gabe says, with a easy smirk. "I think you'll like this slightly better."

Patrick sighs and goes for the bag. His eyes go wide when he sees what Gabe's brought.

"You didn't." Patrick can't seem to help and excited hop and he shakes his head in amazement. "It's not even out of theaters yet!"

Patrick is clutching Episode VII like it might disappear

"How did you do it?!"

Gabe laughs, "I know a guy."

Patrick hugs him so hard and so suddenly Gabe almost falls over.

"That's so sketchy I'm not even going to ask. Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you." He tilts his head up like he's going to kiss Gabe, and then seems to remember he's kind of viciously sick.

Gabe feels his face go warm. It isn't often Patrick makes him blush and not the other way around.

"Star Wars is better than sex toys," Gabe says, hugging Patrick back, "noted."

"Come  _ on _ ," Patrick breaks away and tugs on his hand impatiently, " We have to go watch it right now."

"Alright, alright," Gabe allows himself to be dragged towards the living room.

Patrick pops the movie in and runs back to the couch, jumping on and settling with his knees to chest in a motion that reminds Gabe of a dog settling down in bed.

The credits have barely appeared when Gabe pecks Patrick on the crown of his head and whispers, "M'hungry from the flight, gonna go rustle something up, start without me, I'll be in in minute."

Patrick seems loathe to pause, but he does, looking at Gabe, "You sure?"

"Yeah." Gabe says, getting up. Mostly because he can't say "When was the last time you ate something?"

He raids Patrick's pantry and luckily enough finds what he needs--pasta, broth cubes, he saw some baby carrots in the fridge, and upon further inspection digs up a couple of celery sticks.

The water is boiling fast enough and twenty minutes later he has a passable meal ready. He gets a huge bowl from the cabinet, the kind Patrick uses for cereal, and pours way too much in. Gabe rejoins Patrick on the couch without word. Patrick has been totally focused on the movie this whole time, Gabe could hear him laughing out loud when Poe made his introduction. Gabe settles down and eats a few bites in silence, mostly just letting it cool. He isn't really hungry but he's proud to admit the soup isn't half bad. When he's sure Patrick is totally preoccupied, he slides the bowl over and sets it on his lap. Patrick doesn't even notice for a solid two minutes, and when he does he glances down, confused, at the steaming bowl that's fogging up his glasses.

"What's this?"

"Made too much, I'm full." Gabe answers, not taking his eyes away from the screen. The trick is to seem totally disinterested. "Shh, I love this part."

Patrick turns his attention back to the screen but Gabe is relieved to see him slowly working his way through the noodles and carrots when he glances sideways.

They're not even halfway through when Patrick sets the bowl on the coffee table and leans into Gabe.The next half hour is a slow descent, Patrick going horizontal by degrees, until he's watching through slow blinking eyes with his head in Gabe's lap. Gabe reaches over, careful not to jostle to much, and tosses a throw blanket over Patrick with the pretense of wanting to cover his own legs. By the time the crew gets to Moz's place, Patrick's glasses are askew and his breathing is slow. Gabe hits pause, but flinches when Patrick moves suddenly.

"Put it back, m'watching." Patrick grumbles.

Gabe sighs, "We can finish it in the morning, just go to sleep."

"Don’t you fucking dare turn it off." Patrick sits up and Gabe knows he's pushed too far. "We're watching it now. I'm  _ good _ ."

"Okay, okay." Gabe hits play and curses his premature judgment, because now Patrick is sitting up with arms crossed and eyeing Gabe distrustfully in between yawns.

He can't hold out forever though. Patrick is slumped over and snoring on Gabe's shoulder before Rey and Kylo have their big fight. This time, Gabe doesn't bother trying to turn the TV off. Patrick's sleeping, and that's all that counts. He can move him into bed once the credits roll, and tomorrow he'll work on figuring out if Patrick's actually been taking any medicine. Gabe figures not, or at least not regularly--his cheek is overly warm where it's pressed to Gabe's shoulder, and Gabe can hear the wheeze in his breath every time he exhales. But he'll deal that tomorrow. For tonight, he's accomplished his mission, Patrick's alright, and Gabe is going to make sure he gets better.

**Author's Note:**

> Basically still_emo loves the force awakens with a fervent passion and she made me love it too. which led to the idea that Patrick definitely loved it.


End file.
